He was joined by Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon who said "the elimination of the terrorist Nashat Melhem proves once again that the State of Israel would pursue its malefactors anywhere – within the state, along its borders and even far beyond them."

The motives for the shooting on January 1 remain unclear.

Melhem was arrested in 2007 for attacking an Israeli soldier and served five years in jail. The assault on the soldier was in revenge for the death of his cousin, who was killed during an Israeli police raid in 2006.